Philadelphia ‘Safe Injection’ Site Can’t Claim Religious Burden

Safehouse, a nonprofit organization hoping to open a “safe injection” site in Philadelphia to help combat drug addiction, can’t claim religious protections to avoid prosecution for violating a federal drug law, a federal court said.

In its continuing effort to open the first safe injection site in the US, Safehouse argued that the federal law, meant to go after crack houses and rave parties, can’t be enforced, because it would violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and Safehouse’s First Amendment right to a free exercise of religion. According to Safehouse, its work “is inspired and informed by classic Judeo-Christian beliefs ...